1 09, 2021

Tips to Writing a Better MBA Admissions Resume

By |2021-09-01T00:15:57-04:00September 1st, 2021|Darden, Harvard, MBA, MBA Admissions, MBA Essays, MIT Sloan, Wharton|0 Comments

Applying for admission to an elite MBA program such as HBS, Wharton, Chicago Booth, Kellogg, MIT Sloane Duke (Fuqua), Berkeley (Hass), Michigan (Ross) takes great planning and organizational skills. Bschool applicants often spend most of their focus on making their essays perfect and getting letters of recommendation that they neglect making their resume the best that they can make it. This is a BIG mistake! Your resume is frequently the first thing an admission committee member will review. If it is done right it will pull the member to actually be interested in the rest of your application.

Here are some tips for writing a great MBA admissions resume:

  • Try and keep it to 1 page unless you have more than 10 years experience or if you have some major accomplishment that requires more explanation than can be done on 1 page.
  • Highlight your most significant experiences and accomplishments at the top of your resume. Make sure it is easily readable and emphasize the things you did that made you stand out from your peers.
  • Talk about what you achieved versus what your job description is.
  • Always talk about the positive results that you achieved for you organization. Tangible quantification resonates louder than vague accolades.
  • Give more information about recent positions and list older positions with dates of employment, promotions and special achievements.
  • Stress how you’ve demonstrated leadership throughout your career and how that helped drive success within your organization.
  • In general, put work experience ahead of your education experience – and there should be no need to go back to high school unless there was a significant accomplishment that you achieved during those years.
  • Throughout your resume remember that you want to make yourself stand out. Include the most impressive awards, publications, professional licenses and organizations, and positions in volunteer groups.

Lastly, don’t wait until the last minute to get started on your MBA admission resume. You need time to edit and proofread your resume several times. It also is a great idea to have colleagues review it as well.

At mbaivy.com I can help you put your best foot forward as an MBA applicant. I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer and Harvard graduate. I started MBA IVY: a leading ‘Top Ten’ Ivy League MBA business school admission consulting firm to help both MBA & EMBA clients learn what it takes to get into the most competitive business schools in the U.S. and abroad, and have achieved excellent results. Contact me for a free, personalized consultation.

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31 01, 2020

EMBA Deadlines: Should You Apply? The Answer is YES!

By |2020-01-31T22:19:32-05:00January 31st, 2020|Chicago Booth, Columbia, Darden, EMBA, Fuqua, GMAT, Kellogg, LBS, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, UC Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, Wharton|0 Comments

EMBA’s work on rolling admissions, versus the more concrete deadlines we usually associate with straight MBA programs. However, if you have more than 6 years professional experience in your particular field, the EMBA might just be a better fit for you, and more than help your career.

Furthermore, EMBA programs don’t usually require a GMAT score!  Yes, you heard that correctly and I know it made your day!  A high GMAT could still help you, but it isn’t necessary, and often you can get a waiver, take the EA (Executive Assessment) test instead, or depending on the particular  school selected, not even take any standerized test at all!

EMBA admissions is all about your resume, what you’ve currently done with your career, and where you want to go: your goals and dreams.  Not only that, but really how you want to use your degree to get there.

Are you looking for networking?  Building your knowledge base?  Exploring certain aspects of a parallel field to help you or your company’s growth?  All of those answers are ones the EMBA admissions committee will like, and are good reason for wanting to continue your business education.

All that said, if you’re looking to get in to a top EMBA program, like those offered at Columbia Business School, Wharton, Duke Fuqua, Kellogg (Northwestern), NYU Stern, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, UVA Darden, UC Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, Yale + MORE, take a look below!

The 2020 deadlines for the EMBA are stated here, and if you’d like help with your EMBA application and essays, please contact me for a FREE consultation, and I’ll help you determine your best strategy, and if the EMBA is right for you:   www.MBAIvy.com

And, now, without further delay:

EMBA Deadlines, 2020

*NOTE: Many top EMBA programs start admitting candidates for programs that begin in the summer and fall of 2020 NOW, given their policy of rolling admissions.

There is still plenty of time though before final deadlines, and I just recommend that you try to get your applications in earlier than later, as the competition for spots gets tighter and tighter the closer you get towards the end.

202 EMBA DEADLINES:

Wharton EMBA
February 5, 2020

Chicago Booth EMBA
Early: Feb 3, 2020
Final: April 1, 2020

Columbia EMBA, May 2020 Start Date
Early: January 8, 2020
Final: February 19, 2020

Columbia EMBA, August 2020 Start Date
Early: March 18, 2020
Final: May 27, 2020

Columbia EMBA-Global (Dual degree w/ LBS): May 2020 Start Date
Early: January 21, 2020
Late: March 10, 2020

Columbia EMBA-Global Asia (London Business School and University of Hong Kong): May 2020 Start Date
Round 2: January 19, 2020
Round 3: February 23, 2020
Round 4: March 26, 2020

Duke Fuqua Global EMBA
Round 3: Jan. 22, 2020
Round 4: Mar. 11, 2020
Round 5: April 29, 2020
Round 6: May 27, 2020

Duke Fuqua Weekened EMBA
Round 4: Jan. 22, 2020
Round 5: Mar. 11, 2020

Kellogg EMBA: September 2020 Start Date
Round 1: April 22, 2020
Round 2: June 3, 2020

MIT Sloan EMBA
Early Deadline: January 7, 2020
Round 1: March 12, 2020
Round 2: May 28, 2020

NYU Stern EMBA: August Start Date
Early Deadline: March 1, 2020
Final Deadline: May 1, 2020

NYU Stern EMBA Washington, DC: August Start Date
Early Deadline: March 1, 2020
Final Deadline: May 1, 2020

UC Berkeley Haas EMBA
Round 2: February 5, 2020

UCLA Anderson EMBA
Round 2: February 1, 2020
Final Deadline: May 1, 2020

UVA Darden EMBA: August Start Date
January 10, 2020
February 10, 2020
March 10, 2020
April 10, 2020
May 10, 2020
June 10, 2020
June 25, 2020

Yale EMBA
Round 2: January 30, 2020
Round 3: March 30, 2020

[Again, want help with your EMBA application? I’m a former Harvard interviewer and Harvard grad. Check out my website, and contact me for your FREE consultation today! www.MBAIvy.com ]

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3 12, 2019

The 5 mistakes That Will Ding Your MBA Application!

By |2019-12-03T09:58:14-05:00December 3rd, 2019|Chicago Booth, Columbia, Darden, Dartmouth Tuck, EMBA, Fuqua, GMAT, GRE, Harvard, HBS, Ivy League, Kellogg, LBS, MBA, MBA Admissions, MBA Essays, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Ross, Stanford, Wharton|1 Comment

HBS, Wharton, Columbia, NYU Stern, Kellogg, Booth, they’re all the same when it comes to one thing: “dings.” If you’re applying for your MBA degree this year, you’re probably all too familiar with what that little word means. “Dings” are the marks made against you on your MBA application, the things you’ve done wrong, your failings, the things that will keep you from the MBA degree and business school and career of your dreams. “Dings” = MBA slang for really, really bad.

What if you knew ahead of time though, the top five things that you could avoid that would make sure an MBA admission officer’s “ding” on your application never happened? What if you could in fact, avoid the “dings” altogether and create a stellar application, by avoiding the most common dings, below?

Again, these are the top five things NOT to do:

1. DING #1: Speaking in a general versus personal matter = don’t do it.

This happens way too frequently among MBA applicants. In the essays, the applicant makes very general and sweepingly broad statements about “society” or “the global climate,” or “the issue” and goes on and on from their soapbox making a broad, generalized point, without really letting the admissions committee see them and who they are personally as an applicant. So, if you never use the word “I” in your essay and you find yourself talking about the various “ills of society” too much = DING.

2. DING #2: Not following though with your examples

Let’s say the question is, “Tell Us About A Time You Overcame Failure.” You have an example, you state where you were working at the time; you state what happened…the failure…and then you just stop on the negative. You’ve stated your answer as if it’s a fill-in-the-blank question. However, you have failed to provide any kind of self-reflection in the essay about why this “failure” occurred, how it influenced your life and career, and what you learned and took away from it that was positive (you always want to end on the positive). So, not stating these things, not following through on your examples is akin to answering someone in monotone = DING.

3. DING #3: Not knowing how to write well

You don’t have to be Shakespeare, you do have to be able to write well. Think about it, you’re applying for an MBA degree, and if all goes well, in the future you will be an executive or manager in charge of various employees, teams, and divisions. You better know how to write, regardless of your field. At the management level you represent the company. The MBA essays are the first place they look for clear, concise, logical and properly structured writing. If you can’t do it, get help. If you can’t do it, and you go ahead and turn bad writing in, thinking it doesn’t really matter and your essays are convoluted, unclear, grammatically incorrect or just plain confusing and/ or sounds like your eight year old wrote it = BIG DING.

4. DING #4: Not building a logical bridge

Often people use the MBA degree to bridge the gap between their past career (possibly even in a different field), and their future plans. “Dings” happen on this front however, when applicants fail to make their journey from point A to point B very clear and laid-out. How are you going to go from a mechanical engineer to a strategy consultant focused on tech investments? How does all your past experience figure in? Tell us. Tell us in detail. Make sure your plan is accurate. People switch careers all the time, and what the admission committees look for is simply: is your plan LOGICAL, does it make sense? Have you laid it out? Fail to show the necessary steps, or worse, not be clear about the steps yourself = HUGE DING.

5. DING #5: Not speaking with confidence

This one seems self-explanatory, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across applicants who write in a very self-deprecating way. They say things like, “if it’s possible for me to become a (fill in the blank) and go to your great school…” In other words, they put the school way up here on a pedestal, and themselves way down here in the plebeian mud. Don’t do it. The men and women who will one day be the top executives and leaders in their field KNOW they belong at these schools. There’s no self-deprecation, because they know they have just as much to contribute to the school as they will receive. There is no pedestal. Think otherwise and = DING. Show them you know you belong!

Avoid these five “dings” and you will be in much better shape than most of the MBA applicants out there. Master the essays, and you will have an excellent chance at success!

[I’m a former Harvard interviewer and a Harvard graduate and currently run the MBA admissions firm: www.MBAIvy.com Contact me today for a free phone consultation, and get into the school of your dreams!]

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1 12, 2019

How To Get In to a Top Ten MBA Program

By |2022-09-18T12:47:38-04:00December 1st, 2019|Columbia, Darden, Dartmouth Tuck, EMBA, Fuqua, GMAT, Harvard, HBS, Ivy League, Kellogg, MBA, MBA Admissions, MBA Essays, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Ross, Stanford, UC Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, Wharton|0 Comments

How to Get In to a Top Ten MBA Program: What You Need to Know…

Applying to a Top Ten MBA program this year?

The ability to be concise is a gift. It’s also one of the business skills MBA admissions committees look for in an applicant. Not just at Harvard and Stanford, mind you, but at any of the Top Ten highly competitive business schools.

What MBA and EMBA program admissions committees look for is this:

  1. Can you convey your assets and talents in a clear, crisp, concise professional way, and
  2. Can you be consistent?

The real question is, can you get your message across in a moderate amount of words? That means, under or near, but not over the maximum.  Can you do it in a way that’s succinct, and yet shows the MBA committee who you are as a future successful business leader and innovator? Can you do this in a way that will make you stand out?

In other words, are you up for the challenge?  If so, than allow me to relate the following as an example:

This year’s Harvard MBA essay question is:  “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA Program? (no word limit).”

Most of the applicants who are successful in getting in to HBS have, on average, essays that come in with a word count of 1,000 words. Not 1,500 words, and not 2,000 words or more.

In other words, listen to me: write a manifesto, and it will get you dinged!

The goal, especially at an Ivy League or “Top Ten” business school, is to present who you are, personally and professionally in the strongest way possible.

That means:

1. Know what you want to do. “Undecided” as a career move is weak. The schools (and the business world) doesn’t like weak.

2. Know how your current background and expertise fits in with what that particular school can UNIQUELY offer. In other words, know what makes that school DIFFERENT

3. Know what you, yourself, intend to give back to the school. The adcom wants to know what you bring to table, not only for your fellow classmates, but what you see in yourself, right now, that will set you apart, and indicate that you already have the potential to succeed in the future.

Successful MBA essays usually revolve around a candidate’s unique vision, background, and passion

Drive is also an important trait. All that said, you don’t need to have conquered the world (yet) to get into HBS or a comparable school like Kellogg, Chicago Booth, Wharton or MIT Sloan. You just need to show the admissions committee that you have the intense drive and vision to succeed, at whatever it is you uniquely are setting out to do.

A focused VISION, and a logical, thought out road map in terms of how you’re going to get there, makes you different and stands out.

Top Ten students, as a whole, are competitive, ambitious, driven, and interesting…and, they care about their fellow students and community.

Harvard, for example, values leadership, and those who have the demonstrated potential in their background to become leaders in the future succeed. However, equally important, are those who can demonstrate that they care about their community. In other words, you need to show that your drive isn’t all about YOU.

MBA and EMBA “Top Ten” business school candidates who can show a larger, global, or even (especially for HBS, in particular) social humanitarian interest, and zone in what they do, or want to do with an actionable plan — have, throughout the years that I personally have been working with clients, have had the best possible outcome of success.

The MBA admissions essay therefore  is your place to shine, so don’t hold back.  Top Ten business school adcoms don’t just want to see a reiteration of your resume though. Your resume is an outline, the plate your application sits on. The foundation, but the MBA admissions essays, if you think of them this way, becomes the meat or centerpiece of your meal.

[Looking for help on your MBA or EMBA applications? I’m a former Harvard interviewer, and Harvard grad and run the award-winning MBA & EMBA admission firm: MBA Ivy League Contact me today for a free consultation, and get into the school of your dreams!]

Check out my other related MBA blog articles here: The Harvard 2+2 Program: Is it Right For You?

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27 01, 2017

Your EMBA Strategy: Should You Apply for an Executive MBA?

By |2019-01-03T17:07:25-05:00January 27th, 2017|Chicago Booth, Columbia, Darden, Dartmouth Tuck, EMBA, Fuqua, GMAT, GRE, Harvard, HBS, INSEAD, Kellogg, MBA, MBA Admissions, MBA Essays, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Ross, Stanford, UC Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, Uncategorized, Wharton|1 Comment

The Executive MBA (or, as it’s more commonly know, EMBA) is for those professionals applying to business school who already have more than a few years experience under your belt.  You’ve graduated from good college, you have a strong job, and you’ve been working in your career now, on average 8-10+ years.

You’ve also probably reached a level in your specific industry where you know you want more out of your career.  Or, perhaps you simply want to go in a completely new direction, and you know you need to first reinforce your skill-set, knowledge base, contacts and networking in order to get you to the next credentialed level.

This is exactly what the EMBA was designed for: people like you who have already achieved a level of professional success: whether that’s on the corporate side, in entrepreneurship, the finance industry, energy industry, or whatever your cup of tea is.  You simply know you now want to take your career someplace even more interesting.

There are a few thing you need to know first though, about applying to this type of executive business school program, in order to make sure you first have all your ducks in a row:

  • EMBA programs usually work on rolling admissions.  That means research your schools early, and know their deadlines.  Then, map out a game plan that gets your applications in earlier rather than later, as spots in EMBA programs (versus the regular MBA) start to fill up (and thereby get more competitive) as the deadline nears.
  • You may not need a GMAT or GRE score!  This is great news to some, and at times the #1 reason for applying for the EMBA over the regular, full-time MBA.  Each school is different though, and some programs (like Wharton) still require it, so as with the above point, do your research on your schools and check early.
  • EMBA programs are usually almost always part-time.  This is usually a plus for busy, successful professionals who fully intend to keep working full-time while they attend school — and for most people who are at the EMBA level, that’s a work week that’s already pretty darn full, so this is good news.
  • The EMBA program is slightly easier to get into than the full-time MBA.  Not really true.  You have to be qualified, and of course, it will depend on the school.  Wharton’s EMBA program, in my opinion, (and I have been working as a top MBA & EMBA admissions consultant now for a very long time), is that it is just as difficult to get into as their regular, full-time MBA program, and is one of the most competitive EMBA programs around.  Not to discourage anyone, but if you are going to apply, just make sure you don’t skimp on anything: your resume, the essays, your interview.  You simply always want to put forth your absolutely best.
  • They’re not going to care about your undergraduate grades. Probably true!  Of course everything always matters and counts when admissions is evaluating your overall profile, and you want to make sure you’re as competitive as possible, in every given area, to give yourself the best chance, but that “C” you got 10 years ago now in Chemistry or Advanced Calculus while you were an undergrad…not going to make much of a difference!
  • The EMBA is all about now:  what are you doing in your career now?  Today? What does your resume look like? How many people do you manage?  Do you have any direct reports?  What level of responsibility do you have within your department, or perhaps this is your own company! How do your application essays, your interview, your profile, and your resume add up?  And what about your rec letters?  Do people speak highly of you, and do you present yourself as a natural innovator and leader? These are the things that will get you in!

The Executive EMBA is all about helping today’s business leaders and visionaries move higher by giving them the tools and relationships they need, and some of the best schools out there for today’s top EMBA include: Wharton, Columbia, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Chicago Booth, and Kellogg on top of many more.

Thinking about applying for your EMBA and want more information?  Feel free to contact me before for an initial consultation. Current EMBA deadlines for Fall 2017 matriculation are coming up, depending on your school, but there is still ample time to apply! Happy to take your calls:

[I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer and a Harvard grad, and currently run the MBA & EMBA admissions firm: MBA Ivy. Contact me today for a free consultation and get into the business school of your dreams: www.MBAIvy.com / MBAIvyLeagueInfo@gmail.com / (646) 276-7042 ]

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8 10, 2016

MBA Rec Letters: Making Your Business School Application Strong!

By |2019-01-03T17:08:47-05:00October 8th, 2016|Chicago Booth, Columbia, Darden, Dartmouth Tuck, EMBA, Fuqua, Harvard, HBS, Ivy League, Kellogg, LBS, MBA, MBA Admissions, MBA Essays, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Rec Letters, Stanford, UC Berkeley Haas, Wharton|0 Comments

MBA REC LETTERS (or, in other words, recommendation letters).  What makes a good MBA or EMBA business school application rec letter, and what will help you gain your coveted acceptance letter from the MBA or EMBA admissions department of your choice?

Whether you’re applying to HBS, Wharton, Chicago Booth, Kellogg, Stanford, Columbia, NYU Stern or one of the other “Top Ten” MBA or EMBA business programs in the U.S., who you ask in terms of gaining a strong MBA application recommendation letter, and how you prepare that person to write a good MBA rec letter for you, can easily  in the end make or break your MBA business school application.

On the positive side, a strong rec letter can make an MBA admissions committee take you more seriously – especially if your recommender is a well-known thought leader or innovator in his or her field.  That’s like the golden key, because by writing you a rec letter for your MBA admissions application, they are putting their own reputation on the line.

Even if your company is smaller though, based outside the U.S., or if your boss or supervisor is not well-known at all, don’t worry because most MBA (and EMBA) applicants are actually in that same position, as fame is not a prerequisite.  What your recommender says about you though, regardless of how high up they are, can and will make a difference.

So, where to start in all this? Who, for example, do you ask to write your MBA rec letter (and usually you need to ask two)?

The best choice is going to be the person you directly report to in your current position.  They are the ones who know your work habits and strengths (as well as your weaknesses) best, and a great supervisor or boss who speaks highly of you can do wonders for you in terms of the MBA admissions committee as they know few bosses would agree to recommend someone they didn’t really believe in or support.

Some MBA applicants however don’t want to ask their supervisor because maybe they don’t really want the company to know that they are thinking of leaving to get their MBA, or maybe they fully do intend to tell them, but only if and when they actually get in (so as not to risk their professional future at the company if they don’t).

This too is common, so don’t worry.  If this is your situation, be prepared to be asked “why didn’t you ask your supervisor” in the MBA interview, but if you relate the true reason, everyone will understand. So, who do you ask if you can’t go to your boss?

A long-term client perhaps, a supervisor at your former place of employment if you still maintain a friendly connection.  A colleague who knows you well, though someone in a position higher than you is always going to be a better choice.

Once you have decided who to ask, what kind of guidelines should you give them?

Give them your MBA resume.  Make them aware of the MBA programs you’re applying to, as well as your short-term (immediately post-MBA degree) and longer term (down the road, post-MBA degree) goals.  most people know to speak to your strengths, and most at this level will be happy to share what they’re written about you, as more often than not you, yourself, will have to send it in with the rest of your business school application.

If for some reason though you get a rec letter back that doesn’t sound very supportive or glowing don’t send it in.  If the letter truly doesn’t show you off in a good light, thank the person, always be polite as they have sacrificed their time and most people don’t really want to write a letter but are happy to do so anyway to help you get ahead…but if for some reason it doesn’t sound great:  ask someone else.

No one has to know about the “bad” or “not that shiny” MBA rec letter that so-and-so wrote for you.  Don’t risk your entire MBA application because you’re afraid to be at least slightly selective.

Do your best and ask the best people – the ones you know understand what it takes to get into a top business school, whether on the MBA or EMBA level. Do that, and in terms of the MBA with a stellar MBA rec letter you should have no problem getting to the next level.

You also might like this article here: The GMAT Score You Need to Be a Top MBA Candidate!

[I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer and a Harvard graduate and currently run the MBA & EMBA admissions firm: MBA IVY.  Contact me today for a free initial MBA or EMBA consultation and get into the business school of your dreams! www.MBAIvy.com * (646) 276-7042 * MBAIvyLegaueInfo@gmail.com]

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11 08, 2016

The 10 Best MBA Business School Programs for Entrepreneurs

By |2022-09-21T19:50:08-04:00August 11th, 2016|Babson, Darden, Dartmouth Tuck, IE, IE Business School, IESE Business School, LBS, MBA, MBA Admissions, Stanford, UC Berkeley Haas, UCLA Anderson, Wharton|0 Comments

MBA business school admissions is up this year, and one of the strongest MBA & EMBA admission categories is for those interested in becoming successful entrepreneurs.

Most entrepreneurs and business owners know it takes more than just a good idea to build a strong company.  Success is built on networking, forming strong business connections, knowing how to raise capital, as well as how to properly plan, research, brand, and strategize your company and product, and only THEN launch your business…all while protecting your idea.

And what better place to do this than within a top MBA or EMBA business school where you will be able to access all the support you need for both a successful launch AND future growth!

Staying ahead of the game is what gives you an advantage, and what some of the most successful business leaders, MBA students  and entrepreneurs already know is that the elite innovation labs at some of the best MBA business school programs in the country (and around the world) can certainly give you and your new business a great start in the process of becoming successful.

These MBA programs WORK, and they work because they strive to give you the exact tools and advisory support you need to put your idea out there and succeed.

As one of the top MBA admissions consultants in the U.S., let me advise you that there is nothing better than taking the opportunity to learn from the best.   This means not just from the other entrepreneurs who are your classmates, but from your professors and industry lecturers as well who are often the top leaders and experts in their field.

So, if you’re looking for the best MBA business school programs for entrepreneurship look no further, as they are as follows:

  1. Stanford Graduate School of Business
  2. Babson College’s Olin Graduate School of Business
  3. University of Virginia Darden School of Business
  4. Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business
  5. UCLA Anderson School of Management
  6. UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
  7. University of Pennsylvania Wharton School
  8. IE Business School
  9. London Business School
  10. IESE Business School

Taken from the Financial Times ranking of the Top 25 Business School MBA Programs for entrepreneurship, these MBA business schools can really put you ahead of the crowd.

More importantly though, they teach you how to get that very same crowd behind you and your company by teaching you how to develop the skills you need to launch and sustain your business well into the future!

Looking for MBA or EMBA admissions consulting?  MBA IVY is run by a Harvard graduate as well as a former Harvard admissions interviewer. Contact us for a free profile evaluation today and get into the bschool of your dreams! MBAIvy.com * (646) 276-7042 * MBAIvyLeagueInfo@gmail.com 

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13 06, 2016

The Best Test for Your MBA: GMAT or GRE?

By |2022-09-21T20:41:11-04:00June 13th, 2016|Chicago Booth, Columbia, Darden, EMBA, Fuqua, GMAT, GRE, Harvard, HBS, IE, INSEAD, Kellogg, LBS, MBA, MBA Admissions, MBA Essays, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Ross, Stanford, Wharton|0 Comments

GMAT or GRE?

The Best Test for Your MBA

If you’re applying for your MBA this year, you’re probably in the midst of starting to study for the GMAT or GRE – the traditional tests needed to apply to U.S. business schools.

However, what you may not be aware of, is that more and more business schools are now using the GRE over the GMAT, and valuing it just as equally within the MBA admissions process.

So, what’s the difference between the GMAT and the GRE, and does taking one over the other have any benefits or disadvantages?

In the U.S., having a GMAT score is going to be more common than an GRE score in terms of MBA admissions.

However, the GMAT is very heavy on quant and math skills.  If you’re interested in getting your MBA so you can continue to excel in your career in an industry like strategy consulting, management, entrepreneurship, or something that requires strong verbal skills OVER mathematical ability, then you seriously may want to consider if the GRE is the better test for you.

That’s right:  the GRE is the stronger test to take if you think you can score very high on verbal.

In this same vein, the GMAT is the test to take if you’re a financial analyst, use numbers in your everyday role at work, or are working or planning to work in the investment / banking industry on Wall Street, or anything related to finance.

All schools will look at either score though, so in the end, it’s really just a question of which test to target.

And, if you’re looking for a good GMAT to GRE score converter, or simply want to see how your scores measures up in terms of the other test, try this chart here:

Your GRE verbal scores run across the top of the chart, and your GRE quantitative scores run down the left-hand side. This chart can be used backwards too, so if you know what you got on the GMAT you can find that number first and find out how it compares to the GRE, and then make the best choice from there!

GMAT-GRE-conversion-chart-MBA-Ivy-LeagueGMAT-GRE-Conversion Chart-2-MBA-Ivy-League

GMAT-GRE-conversion-chart 3-MBA-Ivy-League

The GMAT though is still the most common business school test for all U.S. business schools.

This includes HBS, Wharton, Stanford, Chicago Booth, Kellogg, and Columbia, while the GRE is still the more common of the two tests in the U.K., Canada, Asia, and Europe.  

So, if you’re living overseas, or thinking of applying to a non-U.S. MBA or EMBA program, INSEAD, Said (Oxford), and Judge (Cambridge) with the exception of The London School of Business (because it draws so heavily from the financial industry in terms of its applicants) they actually all prefer the GRE.

The “Top Ten” though in the U.S. is making the change, and depending upon where your skill set lies, consider which test – the GMAT or the GRE –  is going to give you the best possibilities!

Check out my other blog posts here for more tips and advice:

[I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer, and a Harvard graduate and run the MBA & EMBA business school admissions firm MBA IVY.  Contact us for a free profile evaluation today, and get into the school of your dreams!]

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9 06, 2016

Your Odds Of Getting In To A “Top Ten” Business School

By |2019-01-03T17:10:43-05:00June 9th, 2016|Chicago Booth, Columbia, Darden, EMBA, Fuqua, HBS, Kellogg, MBA, MBA Admissions, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Stanford, Wharton|0 Comments

What does your MBA profile look like, and how will MBA adcom really see your MBA or EMBA application?

That is always the question. For starters, know that your MBA profile is composed of a variety of things:  Your GMAT score, your work experience, your application essays (demonstrating your leadership and management skills), and your admissions interview (if you get that far in the MBA application process).

So, given the above, what are things that can help you hit a home run with some of the most elite business school programs around like HBS, Wharton, or Stanford? In other words, THE top business schools.

First, your GMAT score is going to be the most important thing, in my professional opinion.  A high score, and by high I mean 730+, can get an applicant in to one of the top MBA programs, who perhaps didn’t have as stellar work experience as the applicant standing next to him (or her). A high GMAT score, in other words, makes everything possible.

Second: work experience.  The adcoms at the most competitive schools tend to value experience at “known-name” companies over lesser known ones:  a.k.a. companies that are leaders in their industry and/or Fortune 500 firms.

Working at one of these firms will help you get attention in the admissions office, as it is a competitive game and working at a top firm not only means you had what it takes to get there and gain some footing in your career at an ambitions level, but more importantly, that you made it through these firms highly selective screening process.

In other words, they vetted you first so the adcom basically highly weighs that silent and unspoken recommendation.

On this same line of thought, working “for-profit” organizations will skew higher on the adcom’s radar than those applicants who might work in the non-profit sector.  I’m not saying one can’t in from the non-profit side, because that isn’t true at all, I am just saying that as these elite MBA programs value drive and ambition at the highest level, they are attracted to applicants who are already demonstrating they can play on the field.

The area of the country you work in also matters.  An MBA applicant who works for Morgan Stanley or Deloitte in NYC, and has a 730 GMAT and can demonstrate both strong leadership and management ability through the examples they choose to speak about in their essays, is going to have an easier time than the guy (or woman) sitting in Indiana who’s working for a unknown firm.

Location matters, because again, the adcom sees this as an example of DRIVE, as they perhaps not even consciously believe that if you can success in a large city (whether it be New York or Houston) and compete in such a competitive marketplace for your job, it lends just a little more weight.

So, what are your odds of getting in?  Check back next time when I’ll profile three actual MBA applicants, so you can clearly see what is required to gain acceptance to the top MBA business schools around!

[I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer and a Harvard grad, and currently run the MBA & EMBA admissions firm www.MBAIvy.com Check out my website and request a free evaluation today!]

 

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12 03, 2016

The Hail Mary MBA Pass! Final Deadlines Still Exist!

By |2019-01-03T17:13:39-05:00March 12th, 2016|Darden, EMBA, Fuqua, GMAT, GRE, Harvard, HBS, IE, INSEAD, Ivy League, Kellogg, LBS, MBA, MBA Admissions, MBA Essays, MIT Sloan, Ross, Wharton|0 Comments

So, let’s say you applied to business school this year and…you didn’t get in.  Yet, you really, really want to start an MBA program in September of THIS year, and not have to wait an entire full year before even being able to begin. However, it’s late in the game.  Really late as most of you know: most deadlines have passed…but noticed I used the word “MOST” = as of today’s date (March 12, 2016) there are still schools out there – top schools – top MBA programs, with deadlines you can still make if you start now.

So, what are these schools, and should you even really bother?  Most will be surprised to learn that some of the Round 3 deadlines still out there, are at some of the most competitive MBA programs around, and even though most of these schools have already compiled their incoming class list there is still room for “adjustments.”

People will decide to go to other schools, saying yes to one means saying “no” to others and that leaves OPENINGS.  Schools will also “hold” spots until the very last date of the admission process, and even if you are wait-listed, getting in off the wait-list and not having to wait an entire FULL YEAR just to be able to begin the MBA program of your dreams that you would rather start THIS September than next…makes an MBA application now a “Hail Mary” end-of-game pass into the endzone, but a pass that I recommend.

It’s like this: if waiting another year is going to be more annoying to you than anything, if you can’t stand having to put your life on hold, then throw that ball and take the chance that maybe, just maybe you can actually get in.  All you stand to lose is the price of the application.  What you can gain could save you TIME, a lot of time, by putting your career and education right on track, and we all know that time and opportunity is something you can’t exactly get back.

So, the schools with deadlines still open as of today’s date (March 12, 2016):

Round 3_1

Round 3_2

Screen shot 2016-01-27 at 11.27.03 AM

So. again, let me stress, there are still spots. Every admissions officer I’ve ever talked to tells me, year after year, that they always hold at least “a few” spaces for the student who comes to them late, yet who they know would make a strong contribution to the class.  If the admission committees didn’t believe this, and put action behind their words, there would be no “Round 3!”  The schools would have a Round 1 and Round 2 and that would be it. Round 3 is there for a reason, and yes, people do actually get in.

So, wouldn’t it be nice if that was YOU?  Remember: it’s not over until it’s over. So, if you’re depressed about not getting in this year and the idea of having to spend yet another year at your current job before you can even BEGIN to make headway into your future, then just look at the list, choose your schools, and take the step and apply.  Throw another hat into the ring. Make that pass into the end zone. Take your application, give it your best shot in these weeks to come and you may just be pleasantly surprised.  Sometimes that pass wins the game!

And, worst case scenario, you that much ahead for a serious start to your MBA future next year.

[Considering an MBA or EMBA? I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer and a Harvard graduate, and currently run the MBA admissions firm MBA IVY out of New York.  As one of the top MBA admissions firms in the country, we help the most competitive students and professionals get into the business school of their dreams.  Contact me for a free initial consultation today!  www.MBAIvy.com ]

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